You can feel the excitement building! After a long wait, the path is underway that will lead to India and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
The COVID 19 pandemic has inflicted significant damage on humankind. Almost every sector suffered, including sports, and cricket fans witnessed a lengthy delay. There was a long break in the qualification process for the World Cup, which is scheduled to be played in 2023 in India. Finally, the ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket World Cup Challenge League is a go, continuing from the matches played in 2019. It has resumed in the eastern African country of Uganda.
The ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League is a part of the ICC Cricket World Cup qualification ecosystem and features twelve emerging nations worldwide. Each national team to play fifteen matches across three legs to keep their dream to play in India 2023 alive.
The Challenge League is considered the third tier of ODI competition (that is, One-Day International). The first tier is the Cricket World Cup Super League, and the second is the Cricket World Cup League 2. In the third tier, the Challenge League has teams equally segregated into League A and B, with each team playing three round-robin legs.
The teams dreaming of being part of the India 2023 World Cup must score the top position in the six-team group following three legs. Then, they will take part in the WC Qualifier Playoff. One team from each Group of Six will be heading to the Qualifier Playoff with the World Cup as the prize.
How The Teams to Qualify for India 2023
It is a long path to ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. The teams first need to top the Challenge League group and thereafter hit the Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff, which is compiled of a six-team competition equipped with League 2’s bottom four finishers. The competition includes teams–the three teams from League 2 as well as the bottom five teams of the Super League. The first two teams of the playoff get into the Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which is to be played in 2023 in Zimbabwe.
The top two teams from the Cricket World Cup Qualifier will play in India in 2023. All the matches of the Challenge League will be streamed live and without cost on the ICC website.
What is the 2019-2022 Challenge League?
The 2019-2022 Challenge League is a new addition to the qualification process associated with ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in India. It replaced the previously identified World Cricket League. The first fixtures were held before the COVID 19 lockdown in September 2019. All the matches in it had List A status. The Challenge League features 12 teams, ranked from 21st to 32nd in the World Cricket League. Only two teams from here qualify for the India 2023 World Cup.
The twelve teams are Canada, Singapore, Denmark, Malaysia, Vanuatu, and Qatar in League A, and Hong Kong, Kenya, Uganda, Jersey, Bermuda, and Italy in League B.
ICC Approval for Challenge League
At meetings in Singapore, the ICC Board approved the new Challenge League in October 2018 as a means to simplify the league-based qualification structure and to also increase the amount of cricket played before the World Cup 2023 in India. ICC Chief Executive David Richardson introduced the new qualifying process as the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League. The new structure focuses on more matches and competitive playing opportunities, and here is the reason why.
Cricket has gained popularity lately across the world, and that includes an upsurge in women’s cricket. So, there is more demand for matches throughout the year.
Another welcome change is that the qualification process has been shortened to two-and-a-half years from the previous six years. Shorter is better!
India 2023 – ICC Cricket World Cup
The India 2023 tournament is the 13th edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, and it will be played in October and November, rescheduled from February and March 2023. COVID-19 is the reason for pushing back the timeframe. Ten teams will be participating in the edition, and the 2020-2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League is the primary route for qualification.
As far as history is concerned, the first Cricket World Cup was played in 1975, hosted by England. West Indies won by 17 runs defeating Australia in the final match. India turned up the winner twice, beating two-time winner West Indies by 43 runs in 1983, and then defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in 2011.
Also notable is that this is the first time that India has organized the championship entirely on its own. Previous hostings of the World Cup–in 1987, 1996, and 2011–were co-hosted. The 1987 World Cup jointly with Pakistan; the 1996 edition venues were shared with Sri Lanka and Pakistan; and India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka jointly hosted the 2011 ICC World Cup.
South Africa and Zimbabwe will host the 2027 edition of the ICC Men’s World Cup and Namibia, while the 2031 World Cup will be held in India and Bangladesh.
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) governs cricket in India. It is an autonomous body headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is not a part of the national sports federation of the country. Formed in 1928, the organization has India National Cricket Team, India National Under-19 Cricket Team, and India Women’s National Cricket Team under its umbrella.
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